A sod turning ceremony has marked the beginning of pre-construction activities for the Rangebank Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
Jointly developed by Eku Energy and Shell Energy with minority equity partner, Perfection Private, the Rangebank BESS system in Cranbourne will provide 200MW/400MWh capacity of reliable and flexible energy to Victorians upon its completion in late 2024. Once fully operational, the Rangebank BESS will have enough storage capacity to power 80,000 homes for an hour during peak periods, which is equivalent to providing five hours of energy to all 31,000 households of Cranbourne.
Shell Energy Australia Chief Executive Officer, Greg Joiner, said the project is an important asset within the company’s growing BESS portfolio.
“Grid-scale batteries will play a crucial role in Australia’s energy future as we integrate more renewables into the grid. This is an important milestone for the Rangebank BESS, bringing access to essential firm capacity one step closer for Victorians. Shell Energy is proud to help transition Melbourne to a lower emissions future.”
The grid-scale battery will be connected to Victorian’s transmission network at the Cranbourne Terminal Station and will increase Victoria’s renewable energy hosting capacity as well as support the safe, secure and reliable operation of Australia’s energy system.
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said that battery systems like the Rangebank BESS system are crucial to help achieve the state’s energy storage targets.
“Grid-scale big batteries like this one are crucial in helping Victoria achieve our energy storage targets of at least 2.6 GW of capacity by 2030 and at least 6.3 GW by 2035 to ensure we can deliver the benefits of cheaper, renewable energy across the state,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
The Rangebank BESS will be built, services, and maintained by Fluence, a global provider of energy storage products and services, and cloud based software for renewables and storage, utilising the company’s latest Gridstack product.
Rangebank BESS will provide essential firming capacity and a reliable source of electricity supply to Victoria whilst helping the state to achieve its energy storage and renewable energy targets.
Featured image: Sod turn image. From left to right: Greg Joiner, Chief Executive Officer, Shell Energy Australia; Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Victoria’s Minister for Energy & Resources; Daniel Burrows, Head of Asia Pacific and Chief Investment Officer, Eku Energy and Steven Murphy, CEO, Perfection Private. Image courtesy of Eku Energy and Shell Energy Australia.
